Murray, now 33, was convicted of first-degree murder by a Middlesex Superior Court jury in 2005 and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

"I'm very happy about the decision," said Murray's lawyer, Ruth Greenberg. "It has almost been eight years and now Mr. Murray will finally get a new trial."

Middlesex Superior Court Judge Sandra Hamlin, who was the trial judge, ruled in 2010 that Murray deserved a new trial, based on information that came out after the trial.

In 2007, 18 Kendall Street Thugs, or Kendall Street Team, gang members were federally indicted as the result of a joint investigation with the Drug Enforcement Agency.

In an affidavit filed in federal court on June 21, 2007, Framingham Police Lt. Kevin Slattery said he was aware of violence committed by and against KST members.

"On Oct. 25, 2003, KST member Joseph McDaniel, a/k/a 'Joe Bucks,' was shot and killed on Kendall Street in the presence of many KST members," Slattery wrote. "A shrine was built at the scene...with the words 'Stop Snitchin' prominently displayed as a warning to anyone who contemplated cooperating with the police."

In ordering the new trial, Hamlin said the jury may have been influenced by that information. The alleged role of McDaniel, a Framingham native, in the KST was minimized during the trial, and several known KST members denied he was a member.

Murray's trial lawyer, Arthur Kelly, tried to argue that Murray was defending himself from McDaniel.

The Middlesex District Attorney's Office appealed Hamlin's decision, saying that the information would not have been of value to the defense since non-KST members testimony mirrored that of testimony of known KST members.

The SJC, in its decision, disagreed about the possible effect the information about the KST would have had on the jurors. They said they would defer to Hamlin, who "concluded that the impeachment would probably have been a real factor in the jury deliberation."

In the ruling, SJC judges say they do not believe the information was intentionally kept from Murray's lawyer.

"Like the superior court judge, we do not insinuate that the prosecution acted willfully in this matter," the ruling said. "Nevertheless, we emphasize that in the case of important witnesses, even minor bases for impeachment are exculpatory."

Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone said his office will retry the case.

"This defendant was convicted by a jury of his peers who heard testimony at trial from numerous witnesses, under oath, who were at the scene the night the murder took place," he said. "We allege that the defendant shot the victim several times, killing him, despite the fact that the victim was unarmed. We respect today's ruling, which is based on the court's interpretation of a legal issue, and we intend to retry the case on behalf of the victim, Joseph McDaniel."

Murray remains in custody. No new court dates have been set.

(Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com.)